ella

na when the heavy oak door of the

ession a carefully practiced mask of polite condescension. She had served the Moretti family for

concern. "I saw Sofia leaving in tears. Usually, any changes t

osed the distance between us, my eyes dropping to the

," I noted, my voice dangerously soft. "Julian lo

er hand twitching as if

re is only one Mrs. Moretti in this house. And a failed spy quickly becomes a very messy problem for her master. You

reality of what happened to useless pawns in our world-shattered her arrogance. S

am," she

ake me to the

erile and cold, lined with rows of modern safety deposit boxes. Mrs. Gable handed me the master key

gned to the Rossi dowry-the financial

etal drawer open. My

estate in downtown Chicago were nothing but expired, worthless documents. Instead, the boxes

he final box-a velvet case meant to hold my late mother's heirloom jewelry. I snapped

my mother's memory to cover their massive financial ruin. They thought

ed me the per

up to the Lady's Wing. I locked the door, picked up the encrypt

r)-" Antonio's voice came thr

other end. Caterina was listening. "Counterfeit bills. Gilded br

choed through

al dowry list. Wire the exact cash equivalent, plus the true value of my mother's jewelry, into my private Swiss accoun

nio stammered, panic finall

ndetta* (blood feud) would be quite entertaining. Oh, and I'll make sure all of Chicago knows the Rossi family is so ba

excuses. I slammed the phone

ow at the sprawling, sunlit courtyard of the Moretti estate, I knew Dahlia and Julian would